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Beware: The Wedding Party in Cary, NC!!!
Question:
Hi, I’m getting married in July and I’m wondering if anyone has ever dealt with a business called The Wedding Party in Cary, North Carolina? I’m not sure about other people’s experiences, but I had the WORST time dealing with that company!!! More specifically, they DELIBERATELY overcharged me by $84 for seven bridesmaids dresses. To make a really LONG story as short as possible, they guaranteed me dresses for one price, and the day my bridesmaids drove up to Cary (from all over NC, I might add), they changed the prices. I realized what had happened, and confronted them. I got an original quote (in writing) of $208 for full service–which includes alterations–on seven bridesmaids dresses. (With their "No Service" plan, the consumer *automatically* gets a 25% discount off the full service price.) I was prepared to pay the full service price since I thought it was a better deal for my bridesmaids. Upon arriving at the bridal shop on Sat. March 9 to have the bridesmaids fitted, the bridal consulant told me that their policy had "changed" the day before and they were no longer offering full service contracts on bridesmaids dresses because of some difficulties that the seamstress had encountered with her back and neck. "No service" was the *only* plan that would now be available. (I accepted that, and said okay.) Because they were no longer offering "full service" on dresses, I now became eligible for the "no service" 25% discount. The dresses would now cost the bridesmaids $156 instead of $208.) So far, so good, right? I was so excited that I had finally gotten everyone together and we were finally ordering the bridesmaids dress that I didn’t reall question their decision to stop the"full service" agreement. Well, it hit me like a ton of bricks Sunday morning that I had been OVERCHARGED for the dresses. The consultant charged me a base price of $168 instead of $156 for the seven dresses. I never second-guessed The Wedding Party because I figured that they were a reputable business and could use a calculator! Was I wrong!!! Today (Monday) I first called over to The Wedding Party to state my case about being overcharged on Saturday. The consultant who answered the phone tried to tell me that the ORIGINAL price on the dress was $222–and not $208–but suggested that I come into the store and she was *sure* that we could "straighten this out." So I went over there to speak with the "manager," – who shall remain nameless. :-) She set out to "prove" to me that the price had not been changed on Friday, and that they were an honest business. She informed me that someone else had purchased the exact dress on Saturday (in a different color) and had been charged $222–not $208. She pulled out a stack of receipts from consumers who had ordered the same dress…and wouldn’t you know it…THE RECEIPT ON TOP REFLECTED THAT THE PERSON HAD PAID *$208* FOR THE DRESS THE *SAME DAY* THAT I ORDERED MY SEVEN BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES!!! Realizing her mistake, she tried to hide the receipt, but I had already seen it. How dishonest can a business be?!!! I had read about things such as this happening, but I never thought that a Cary merchant–especially one as well-known as The Wedding Party–would do something like this. The conclusion that I drew from that…THE WEDDING PARTY *DELIBERATELY* OVERCHARGED ME. Luckily, I had placed the deposit on a credit card! I had a bad experience with their dishonesty, and I am posting this hoping to help others avoid making the mistake that I did. I told the manager that I was going to file a complaint with the BBB, the Attorney General’s Office, the Cary Chamber of Commerce, and other relevant agencies. In response to me contacting North Carolina Attorney General Mike Easley, the manager said, "I’m not afraid of Mike Easley. People keep threatening that they are going to contact him, but htat threat doesn’t scare me. Tell him to come visit me." I know lots of people in the AG’s office so I picked up the phone to find if any complaints have been filed against them recently. There has been at least one complaint filed…I won’t have the details until Wednesday. Thanks for listening. Darleen
Response:
That’s a bizarre story. I hope you keep us posted!